Welcome to the Colchester Heritage Explorer
Please note this site has recently been upgraded, and now includes the Colchester Borough Local List and several other new features - please report any issues through our Contact Form.
Balkerne Gate
A freestanding monumental arch, probably constructed when the colonia was founded in AD 49.
Colchester St Botolph's Priory
11th century Augustinian Priory of St Botolph, located on the south-facing slope of a small valley outside the town's south gateway.
The Siege House, East Street
This house has many bullet holes in its timber frame which date from the Siege of Colchester in 1648.
This is the online Historic Environment Record for Colchester Borough.
This site contains over 10,000 records detailing the heritage of Colchester Borough from the earliest human activity to the Cold War. Colchester is the oldest recorded town in the British Isles and has a rich archaeological and historical background. Archaeologists and historians have been collecting information about Colchester's past for hundreds of years and this website brings together the results of their research.
You can use this site to help you find out more about:
- Your local area, including historic buildings, archaeological excavations and finds
- Any period of interest including early prehistory, the Iron Age, the Roman period and the medieval period
- Industrial activity in and around the Borough
- Archaeological finds such as prehistoric flint tools, Roman jewellery or medieval pottery